Improvement in folding umbrellas



a. B. KIRKHAM FOLDING UMBRELLA.

Patented May 16, 18'7 6.

I INVENTOR! WITNESSES WY. Q, M? Z N.FETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WAsPJNGTON. Dv C,

* UNITED STATES PATENT .OEEIoE.

eEoReE' B. KIRKHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING UMBRELLAS.v

I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,339, dated May 16, 1876; application filed May 12, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE-BYRON KIRK- HAM, of 167 East 33d street, city .of New York, county and State of New York, have invented an Improved Umbrella, of which the following The covering is omitted in both figures, as

it has no special novelty, and will be made in the same manner, and of the same materialssilk or cotton-as the coverings on ordinary umbrellas.

in Fig. 1, A is the Stick or handle, which slides in and out of the tube B. When pulled out to the fullest extent it is held in position by the spring 0. This spring 0 is so arranged that when the thimble D is pulled down to the lower end of the tube B the thimble will press the spring 0 in, and thus allow the stick A to be shoved up into the tube B. The thimble D, while sliding up or down on the tube B, is prevented from twisting by the guides E Ea ridge or groove on B-which fits into D, and causes it to run straight up or down. A projection on the lower end of the tube B fits into a groove, F, in the stick A, and prevents it, in like manner, from turning round or twisting.

It may not be necessary to employ these ridges and grooves E F in all cases, especially in the cheaper umbrellas,-since the common umbrellas prove that the ribs and braces are generally sut'ticient to guide the lower thimble up and down correctly without twisting.

The thimble D when pushed up as high as it will go on B is held there by a spring-catch, G, which drops into a slot in the tube B made to receive it, and when the thimble D is down to the lower end of the tube B the spring-catch G reaches over the end of the tube, and thus keeps the umbrella closed. About one-third of the way from the top of the tube B another the short ribs L L by means of the double pivot clasps R Ron the upper ends of L L.

The action of 1) sliding up the tube B extends the braces and ribs of the umbrella horizontally, and going down it shuts them up against the handle perpendicularly, thus closingthe whole umbrella.

The rod K may be extended to the thimble D,as shown by thedotted lines in Fig. 1. Also,

it may be substituted by a string or chain, as

shown at K, Fig. 2.

M M are strings of the covering, to hold the cloth up between H and L.

A string, N, may be occasionally used 'in very large umbrellas to prevent them from collapsing. 1

A ferrule is screwed on the upper end of the stick A, as shown at O in Fig. 2, and, being too large to pass out of the lower end of the tube B, it prevents the stick from coming en tirely out of the tube and getting lost. A pin, P, will answer the same purpose.

I claimv 1. The thimble D, in combination with the stick A, tube B, and spring 0, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the rods IJ K L, pivoted clasp R, and string M, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the rods [J L, cord K, pivoted clasp B, and string M, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7

GEORGE BYRON KIRKHAM.

Witnesses:

A. L. WATSON, H. M. PAIN. 

